The most critical issue I find is people don’t clean the grates on the grill nor their grill often enough. The grease builds up inside the grill and crusty stuff on the grates – and it ain’t seasoning bubba, it’s rotten food grease!

I grill a lot. Most every day and often times it’s production grilling. So yes, I do use two trays and two sets of tongs, the tongs are color coded RED for raw and on the left side of the grill (I tend to start on the left side and have the burner or coals the hottest on that side to sear the meat first) and I use tongs with black handles on the right side where the coals are either banked for indirect heat or the burners are turned very low and the meat is placed into trays were it finishes. I purchase them at the restaurant supply store.

I do use food safe gloves for handling many meats and especially if I’m going to be adding a rub or other seasoning to the meat – because I want to keep the seasoning out of my skin pores! And it just makes good sense.

As far as the chicken goes, I’d echo what the folks above have said– put it on the grill by hand, use tongs after that. If you’re using metal tongs, just get them really hot over the coals to kill any badiess you might be worried about. Probably not what the CDC would advise but we grill about three times a week practically year round– beef, fish, chicken, pork, everything– and we’ve never had any ill effects.

I firmly believe that when it comes to meat and food safety, the keys are to buy high-quality meats from places where you know they are careful with their meat and then keep cold food cold and hot food hot.

All this ‘use two tongs’ business is an EXTRA precaution. So basically, if you mess up and accidentally use your raw tongs instead of your 65% cooked tongs, don’t worry about it.

As far as I’m concerned, use your hands till it’s on the fire… after that use the same pair for the rest of the event. After all, you should only touch meat three times while grilling, once to put it on (hands), once to flip (tongs), once to remove (tongs). If it freaks you out, just give em a quick wash before the very end.

LOOSEN UP, PEOPLE!

I always have the raw food on the left and the cooked food on the right of the grill, so I am moving things in a left to right direction.

Of greater importance is keeping the sheet pans containg ingredients high enough off the wall to stop the ants from getting into them. I use little plastic supports for flower pots under the pans to elevate them enough. Works well even for the pans containing hot cooked food. I don’t want bug sprays anywhere near the food!

Chris

It’s a bit extra in terms of supplies and dish washing later, but it is supposed to be safer.